The keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King Unity Breakfast on Monday is a Kansas native and the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

Organizers said they chose Janet Murguia, the president and chief executive officer of the National Council of La Raza, because of her message of unity and her opposition to a resurgence of hate speech in the immigration debate.

It’s the first time in more than two decades that the keynote speaker for the Birmingham event is not a white person or a black person.

Isabel Rubio, executive director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, an affiliate of La Raza, said having Murguia on the program signals a recognition of the growing population of Spanish-speaking people in Alabama and a continuation of King’s dream.

Murguia said she intends to speak about common challenges and opportunities for blacks and Hispanics.

“We recognize that the immigration system is broken and it requires a serious debate,” she said, “but there’s no room in that debate for hate, and we’re sensing a wave of hate right now that’s not only directed at immigrants, but the Hispanic community.”